When Saint Antony the Great was in the desert, he once fell into inactivity and
dormancy and great confusion of his thoughts and said to God Lord, I want
to be saved, but my thoughts won ;t let me. What shall I do with this affliction?
How can I be saved So, one time he went out of his hut and he saw
someone like himself sitting and doing handiwork. After a while he would put
down his handiwork, stand up and pray, and again he would sit down and
continue to work. Then he would again get up to pray. It was an angel of the
Lord who had been sent to correct Antony and give him assurance, and he
heard the angel say to him Do the same and you will be saved And when
Saint Antony heard this, he was filled with great joy and courage. And so
doing, he went on with the work of his salvation.
From the Gerontikon
Translated by Dr. Nick Stergiou
